3 things that brought this woman back from Alzheimer’s

Mark Hatzer was probably heartbroken when he realized that his mother Sylvia, an 82-year old woman who is suffering from dementia, couldn’t recognize her own son. He didn’t want to lose another parent, but because her condition got worse, he had to admit her to North Manchester General Hospital for her own safety.

Sylvia’s memory began wavering in 2015 and she couldn’t remember plans she made or any birthdays, but the doctors diagnosed her with Alzheimer’s disease in December 2016 and that was when Mark has noticed his mother’s rapid deterioration.

Sylvia forgot many lunch plans and birthdays, she had called the police and accused nurses of kidnapping, but the lowest point of Mark’s life was when she couldn’t recognize him anymore.

The road to recovery: How Sylvia Hatzer beat dementia

Sylvia was not yet in the clear when her doctors allowed her to be discharged from the hospital in which she spent two months. She still showed early signs and symptoms of dementia: short-term memory problems, increased confusion, trouble concentrating, and changes in personality or behavior, generally withdrawn, apathetic, or depressed, unable to complete simple, everyday tasks.

But it was the next steps of the Hatzer family that made difference.

Her family said that instead of the medication which was prescribed to her when she left the hospital, they thought of trying an alternative treatment. In many Mediterranean countries, people don’t know what Alzheimer’s is because of their diet.

Blueberries, strawberries, Brazil nuts and walnuts have the shape of a brain which is a sign that they are good for the brain.

In some of the Mediterranean countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Turkey, researchers have studied diets and have come to a conclusion that these diets are helpful for improving the memory or thinking and they reduce dementia risk.

Many Mediterranean diets according to the Alzheimer’s Society are traditionally high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and cereals, with moderate consumption of oily fish and dairy and are low in meat, sugar and saturated fat.

More evidence that Mediterranean diets can prevent and treat dementia

A research which was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International conference in July 2017 revealed that if a person eats a Mediterranean diet, he or she would have a lower risk of dementia. This study was led by the University of California’s Claire McEvoy and 6000 Americans’ eating habits were analyzed. The average age of the participants in this study was 68-years-old, but its findings were relevant to the general public.

It was found that people had a 30% to 35% lower risk of cognitive impairment because they after adjusting for age, gender, race, low educational attainment, and lifestyle and some health issues like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and depression, smoking, and physical inactivity followed the Mediterranean diet.

What else did Sylvia do that helped reverse dementia?

Three things contributed to the rapid progress of Sylvia of reversing dementia: diet change, cognitive exercises, and physical exercises.

The cognitive exercises which Sylvia frequently performed were things such as doing crosswords and jigsaw puzzles, and as well as staying engaged in social clubs.

Sylvia’s son said that her recovery was not an overnight miracle, but she began remembering things like birthdays after a couple of months and she became more like her old self again. Most people think that once you get a diagnosis like Sylvia’s, your life will end, but it doesn’t have to end. You’ll have bad days, but you’ll also have good days.

Sylvia at old age made a real-life difference through diet, so why don’t you do it too? You don’t have to make a big change. Just stop smoking, or stop any other lifestyle habit to prevent dementia and start protecting your brain today!